A Sinister Price
by Lyricale
Summary: What really happened that night five years ago when Itachi murdered everyone in his clan, except Sasuke? Is he a cold blooded murderer, or is there something beneath the surface? AU
1. Prologue

Author: Lyricale

Summary: What really happened that night five years ago when Itachi murdered everyone in his clan, except Sasuke? Is he a cold blooded murderer, or is there something beneath the surface?

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own the characters Itachi or Sasuke or any of the Naruto universe, which belongs to its creator, Masashi Kishimoto._

Author's note: Hello, everyone! This is my first Naruto fanfic, focusing on the relationship between Itachi and Sasuke. In this story we will find out the real reason Itachi murdered his clan, and if Sasuke will be able to forgive Itachi after dedicating his whole life to his destruction. This will be strictly a brother relationship/family fanfic, no slash. However, other romances may appear as the story continues. It takes place after Sasuke and Itachi's first encounter in Otafuku, but before Sasuke leaves with the Sound Four. Also, Naruto and Jiraiya have brought back Tsunade, and she has healed both Sasuke and Kakashi. Hope you enjoy it. :)

**A SINISTER PRICE**

**Prologue**

XXXX

The pleasant dream was a switch from the normal recurring nightmares Itachi was accustomed to. It was more like a memory, one that Itachi hadn't thought about for some time since becoming a member of Akatsuki. Perhaps he felt he didn't deserve to view such a happy, carefree moment, one he would reluctantly admit was one of his favorite recollections of the time when he was a young teenager--which wasn't saying much, granted, since there weren't very many to choose from.

He was with his little brother, Sasuke, before he slaughtered his clan. It was a normal day for the Uchiha family. Their parents were out of the house for the evening, and Itachi found himself in charge of dinner for the both of them...

"Nii-san, nii-san! What are we having for dinner?" Sasuke asked as he ran into the kitchen.

Itachi didn't look up. He currently stood in front of the counter, staring intently at a thawed chicken, inspecting it. This continued for another thirty seconds until Itachi wrinkled his nose and flung the chicken into the garbage without a second glance. Sasuke watched with horror.

"Nii-san! Why did you throw out our dinner? What are we supposed to eat now?" Sasuke whined, punctuating the statement with a hungry rumble of his stomach.

Itachi knelt down to Sasuke, gave him a small smile, and poked him on the forehead, to which Sasuke responded with a flinch. He sent his older brother a glare. Sasuke never understood why he did that; in truth, it was his own way of showing affection to his younger brother, rather than through a more open gesture, such as a hug. Uchiha men did not hug.

"If I had cooked that and we had eaten it, then three hours later we would both be hunched over the toilet, emptying the contents of our dinner," Itachi replied with an indifferent shrug.

Sasuke did not fully understand that he was referring to the both of them getting food poisoning but knew well enough that he did not want to spend the rest of his day in the bathroom. Itachi rummaged through the contents of the refrigerator, grabbing some pork and a couple other basic contents needed for home-made ramen. He placed them all on the counter, in order of what he would begin to prepare first. Sasuke sat expectantly at the table, eyeing all of the delicious ingredients, so hungry he would have consumed them all raw if it had meant he wouldn't have to wait.

"Sasuke, I need you to leave the kitchen while I cook dinner. It will only take about a half an hour," Itachi ordered his brother.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Sasuke preparing a retort. But before he was given the chance to protest, Itachi walked over to Sasuke, picked him up, threw him over his shoulder, and set him down outside. Sasuke kicked all the while, complaining about how unfair he was being.

"Come on, nii-san! I never get to see you cook. I remember when you cooked onigiri, and it was the greatest thing I've ever tasted. It was so good.…" Sasuke trailed off, lost in his thoughts of Itachi's delicious cooking.

Itachi merely walked back into the kitchen and closed the door, leaving Sasuke to sit and sulk while he waited.

_Hm_, he thought as he began to prepare the pork. Unlike the chicken previously on the counter, it did not smell horribly spoiled. Itachi sliced the pork into smaller pieces with needle-fine precision, seasoning it with several herbs. Once the meat was cooking, Itachi focused on chopping up half an onion and a clove of garlic, knife moving with such speed and accuracy that if one were to blink, they would be unable to find where they had left off watching the swift, fluid movements. After this was finished, the finely sliced vegetables were placed to cook with the meat.

The next step was to create the broth, and although it came from a can, with the right ingredients added to it, Itachi could make it taste more like his style of cooking. But first...

"Sasuke," Itachi said quietly, acknowledging the small crack in the door with only one black eye visible, "if you don't go find something to do for the next fifteen minutes, _I'll_ find something and eat this ramen myself,"

The door slowly slid closed to its original position, and Itachi could hear the retreating footsteps of his little brother. He felt a small smile surface on his face, and he resumed cooking.

XXXX

"Wow, nii-san, that was great!" Sasuke exclaimed, patting his belly, content now that it was filled with delicious ramen cooked by his brother.

Itachi sat quietly next to Sasuke, pleased that his little brother enjoyed the meal, though he didn't express it out loud.

Together, they started cleaning the dishes. It was Sasuke's job to rinse off the soapy dishes while Itachi dried them and put them away. Sasuke smiled mischievously to himself, and when Itachi came to collect another dish, Sasuke made his move, squirting him in the face with a spray of water. Itachi stood there blankly for several seconds, which worried Sasuke. He didn't want his brother to be mad at him.

Dismay and regret filling his mind, Sasuke was caught off guard when Itachi in turn collected some soapy water with his hands and dropped it over Sasuke's head, drenching his hair and turning it white with suds. Sasuke blinked, both surprised and excited--his brother never participated in such childish games. Sasuke looked back up at his brother and spotted the glint in his eye, and knew it meant war.

The two brothers lost track of time as they continued their water-fight to see who could get who the wettest. For the first time Sasuke could ever recall, while in the midst of their splashing, Itachi let out a genuine laugh. Not a soft chuckle or a mild snort, but a real belly laugh that reached his eyes with a happiness Sasuke had never seen. It really suited his older brother, and he wished that Itachi showed this lighthearted side of himself more often instead of his usual quiet, reserved persona.

After everything was cleaned up and once their parents had returned, Itachi was back to his normal self, and both brothers retired to bed for the night. Before Sasuke went into his room, he was once again in the shadow of his brother.

"What is it, nii-san?" Sasuke asked, confused. Was Itachi having second thoughts about their evening fun and decided that he hadn't enjoyed their water war? Instead, Itachi knelt down, gave Sasuke that same little smile, and ruffled his hair.

"Goodnight, little brother," he said gently, and then retreated to his room.

Sasuke noticed that the smile he gave him exuded more contentness in it then all of his previous smiles, which never seemed to reach his eyes, like this one had. Itachi heard Sasuke reply with a goodnight as well, and lay down in his bed, for once falling asleep with a ghost of a smile on his face.

XXXX

Itachi woke to a harsher reality. He found himself sitting atop a flat rock, legs crossed in a sitting position, slumped over himself, apparently having fallen forward when he drifted off. He must have fallen asleep while meditating, he thought to himself.

When he tried to rise, he immediately regretted it. His neck was agonizingly sore and his legs had fallen asleep, forcing him to fold back down to allow his body a moment to wake up. Examining the position of the sun, he realized he'd been asleep for a good eight hours; dusk was approaching quickly, the sun beginning to disappear over the horizon.

"I see you're finally awake, Itachi-san."

The voice came from the right of Itachi. He inclined his head towards the source slightly, cracking his neck as he turned to relieve some of the built-up tension and soreness.

"Kisame, where have you been?" He asked mostly out of curiosity, but with a mild tone of irritation. It bothered him that without Kisame here, he could have been ambushed by any ninja, locked in such a deep sleep that it would have been ridiculously simple for one to slit his throat.

Kisame in turn looked slightly apologetic. "I apologize, Itachi-san. I had a rendezvous with our leader while you slept. I have been given temporary reassignment for a special mission that will take some time. I know you wanted to return to Konoha a second time, but I will not be able to accompany you. Perhaps you should delay your visit until I return," Kisame suggested, remembering the difficulties they had faced before.

It wasn't that they couldn't defeat the shinobi of Konoha, but they just kept showing up one after the other. Kisame was always eager for some heavy action, but Itachi had wanted to retreat, thus ending his play time. He didn't know, however, if Itachi could handle them alone if he encountered them again.

"Are you suggesting I can't handle myself?" Itachi asked, hostility rendering the words frosty as he spoke them, nearly voicing the exact thoughts Kisame had just been contemplating.

"I apologize again, Itachi-san. Forgive me for underestimating your abilities. I just don't know why you insist that we return to your village again after what happened the last time. There's no way your village will fall for the same trick twice, and they'll probably be even more prepared than when we fought the three Jounin. Why are you risking so much right now?" Kisame demanded, anger growing more evident on his features.

Itachi merely stared at Kisame, digesting the information. It was true that he had been requesting that they return to Konoha, but he himself wasn't even quite sure why he was being so insistent, or what he hoped to accomplish. As he thought about it to himself, flashes of Sasuke came to his mind. The scream Sasuke had given after he snapped his wrist during their first encounter since the massacre of his clan still echoed throughout his head, like an un-ending refrain. Itachi shuddered slightly before rising to his feet, wavering for just a second before righting himself.

"I have important matters that I must attend to in my former village. I understand your frustration, Kisame, and I apologize for putting us in such a compromising position. Perhaps this special mission came at a good time for the both of us. I would much rather take care of this business myself. Report back to our leader and take however much time is needed for your mission. I'm not sure how long this will take me..." Itachi trailed off, considering what it would take to accomplish his goal.

Kisame eyed Itachi suspiciously, wondering what exactly it was he wanted to do so badly that he would almost risk being killed to achieve it. The trust he had for Itachi, however, outweighed the suspicion, and Kisame decided that this was something Itachi had to do. He had never seen Itachi passionate about anything during their travels together, so whatever it was he had to do must be extremely important.

"All right, Itachi-san. Take care if whatever business you have. I'm sure we'll both survive going solo for a little while," Kisame said, giving his approval.

The sun had finally set, and Kisame prepared to return to their current base. Before he could leave, however, Itachi put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

"What is it, Itachi-san?" Kisame asked, puzzled.

Itachi removed his Akatsuki cloak and his kasa and handed them to Kisame. "If I'm going to be entering Konoha, I need to change my appearance so I'm not so easily recognized," Itachi replied, answering Kisame's unasked question. He nodded in affirmation, taking the cloak and kasa.

"Good luck, Itachi-san." And with that, Kisame vanished.

Itachi stared at the ground where Kisame had just stood on a second ago, looked back up, and started forward on the path to Konoha…to Sasuke.


	2. Decisions and Confrontations

Author: Lyricale

Summary: What really happened that night five years ago when Itachi murdered everyone in his clan, except Sasuke? Is he a cold blooded murderer, or is there something beneath the surface?

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own the characters Itachi or Sasuke or any of the Naruto universe, which belongs to its creator, Masashi Kishimoto. Also, the beginning of this chapter is based off of episode 108 of the anime, when Kakashi confronts Sasuke._

**A SINISTER PRICE**

**Decisions and Confrontations**

XXXX

Sasuke sat on a tree limb, back against the thick trunk, wondering bitterly what the hell he'd been doing all the way up to now. To be one-upped by Naruto only provided fuel to the already blazing fire within him, determination joining the hatred in his heart.

His fists clenched in anger, his body shaking with the realization that he was nowhere near strong enough to achieve his ultimate goal. Unless he became more powerful, he would forever be little more than a nuisance to his brother and never be acknowledged as a true threat. He slammed his fist into the trunk with a cry of frustration.

Not far away, four figures watched the young Uchiha's rage grow.

"This is perfect. The boy has the right eyes, so full of anger and hate," one of the figures said quietly to the others, nodding at Sasuke. The man had grey hair, long enough to partially conceal his face, and his lips, which were painted a teal color, wore a smirk.

The other three nodded their agreement, wearing equally devilish smiles of delight, preparing to make their move on the unsuspecting Uchiha. They halted abruptly, however, when they spotted another figure approaching Sasuke, and abandoned their initial attack in favor of slipping back into an observant silence.

A hair-thin chakra string sprung out of nowhere and had wrapped itself around Sasuke, pinning him against the tree, before he had a chance to do anything but blink. "Kakashi-sensei! What is the meaning of this?" Sasuke demanded.

Kakashi merely stood there, a hint of amusement spreading across his features, which slowly turned to concern as he stared at Sasuke. He gave him a moment to calm down and quit resisting before he spoke.

"Sasuke, you need to forget about revenge," he said softly, already aware of how Sasuke was going to reply to this suggestion. He only needed him to listen.

"Why would I do that?" Sasuke asked, his voice very low and very hostile, glare sharpening with distaste.

"I have seen plenty of guys like you," Kakashi said with deceptive casualness. "The ones who speak only of revenge are the worst kind." Sasuke sat in silence, which Kakashi took as a sign to keep speaking. "By continuing your pursuit of revenge, you will only be causing yourself more pain and suffering, and even if you do succeed, only grief will follow you from then on."

This struck a nerve in Sasuke, and his retort was laced with a venomous anger. "Shut up! What do really know? You act like you can see right through me, but you can't! What if I killed everybody important to you? All that you have said would be proved wrong!" He spoke with a tight smile that didn't look entirely sane.

"That would be unfortunate, yes, but I do not have anybody like that anymore. They have already been killed," he said with an equally incongruous smile that prompted Sasuke to release his anger for a moment. His eyes became neutral, touched with a hint of sorrow.

"I've been around longer than you," Kakashi said gently, seizing upon the change of emotion. "I know what it feels like to lose someone. You and I haven't really been very lucky. But it could be worse, for you and for me. We've found good friends, haven't we?"

Sasuke sat mutely, a defeated look on his face, images of Naruto and Sakura flashing through his mind. Kakashi released Sasuke from his hold.

"I taught you Chidori not so you could use it against comrades or for revenge. You are going to have to figure out for yourself how it should be used. I cannot help you there." He gave Sasuke a smile of encouragement.

"I don't think I could give up revenge that easily," he began, the hatred in his eyes replaced with a solemn remorse, "but I suppose that doesn't mean I can't achieve it with the help of my friends. I don't want to be alone again," he whispered the last part quietly, a flash of fear splashed onto his features, but it was gone as quickly as it came.

"But I'm still not strong enough! I need to train harder, and I need you to help me. If you do this for me, I won't pursue power elsewhere. I know Orochimaru wants me to join him. I won't lie and say I'm not tempted, but if you agree to my request, I'll remain here. I'm willing to compromise if you are," he said almost diplomatically, anger less evident than before.

"That's very mature of you, Sasuke. I think--" Kakashi cut himself off, sensing the presence of nearby shinobi.

This alerted Sasuke, and he stood up, prepared for an assault. Kakashi quickly pulled out a summoning scroll, bit his finger and summoned his familiar, Pakkun. He whispered quietly to him, and Pakkun nodded his acknowledgement and took off. The four figures that Kakashi had sensed appeared at the end of the tree limb.

The grey-haired shinobi wore the same smirk of merciless joy as before. Behind him were three other shinobi, two men and a woman. The woman had reddish-pink hair, and carried a flute with her. One of the men had three arms on each side, and his dark brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail. The last was big guy, sporting an orange mohawk and a menacing glare. The only things that they all had in common were their Sound ninja headbands and the thick purple ropes tied around their waists, Orochimaru-style.

"Well, if it isn't Hatake Kakashi, the copy ninja. Having you here wasn't part the plan, but no matter. Killing you would only be doing everyone a service," the man in the front said with a mirthless laugh. He dropped into a low defensive stance. Everyone else followed suit, preparing an attack.

"Sasuke, get ready to go on the offense. We can take these guys down quickly if we don't leave any room for mistakes. Don't let them intimidate you," Kakashi said, lifting his headband to expose his sharingan.

Sasuke nodded in affirmation. Taking out his pent-up anger on these guys was just what he needed.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Fifteen other Kakashis appeared and charged. The four shinobi stood back to back and fought off the shadow clones. This occupied them enough to give Sasuke the chance to whip out the same thin wire Kakashi had used on him only minutes ago and wrap it around them. He pulled it taut, and they slammed into a tight cluster, bound together, their expressions mirroring shock. Sasuke formed the necessary hand seals to release Goukakyuu no Jutsu down the string wires, the flames consuming the four sound ninja.

"Sasuke! Behind!" Kakashi yelled out to Sasuke, who turned just in time to see the mohawked ninja preparing to throw a punch from behind.

Sasuke ducked just in time, grabbing the man by the arm and swinging him back into the tree trunk. He landed with a grunt. Sasuke wasted no time and prepared Chidori, charging towards the fallen ninja and tearing into his chest with an explosion of electricity and blood. The Sound ninja let out a howl of agony, and fell off of the tree branch.

Kakashi was occupied with two of the other ninja. They charged at him with a quick ferocity, the male shooting a web out of his mouth, entangling him. The woman took advantage of his immobility to throw shuriken, exploding seals attached to them, at Kakashi. The two shinobi jumped away as they detonated, satisfied with their work.

Two Kakashis rose up behind them, holding kunai to their backs. The woman gasped with surprise and the man growled in anger.

One of the Kakashis glanced over at Sasuke and saw that he was currently locked in combat with the grey-haired shinobi. They were exchanging blows in midair when Sasuke grabbed the man and performed Hayabusa Otoshi, slamming him headfirst into the ground. Sasuke appeared back on the tree, looking around so as not to fall victim to a surprise attack.

Kakashi turned his attention back to his two detainees. They smirked, and he tensed in anticipation of an attack. They disappeared abruptly, logs popping into existence in the space they had just occupied.

All four of the Sound ninja appeared in a line on top of a nearby building. They sported matching expressions of extreme displeasure, although they didn't seem as injured as they should have been.

"Looks like you give us no choice but to change into our other forms," the grey-haired man said, a triumphant smirk spreading across his face.

His moment of satisfaction was crushed, however, by the sudden appearance of several ANBU, who quickly moved to surround the four enemy shinobi. Pakkun trotted up to Kakashi.

"Good timing, Pakkun," Kakashi murmured. "It looked like things were about to get rough."

Next to Kakashi, Sasuke eyed the Sound ninja, whose attentions were, strangely enough, focused on him instead of the ANBU forces who were currently a far greater danger.

"Before we depart, Sasuke, listen to what we have to offer: a chance to gain the power you desire so badly. With this power, you could become strong enough to finally take your revenge upon your brother, Uchiha Itachi. Think carefully before you choose. You wouldn't want to make the wrong choice, would you?" The grey-haired ninja fixed Sasuke with one final, piercing stare, and the four leapt into the air and disappeared, leaving only a shower of leaves in their wake.

"Are you all right, Kakashi-sempai?" the lead ANBU asked.

Kakashi nodded and began reporting the details of the battle that just occurred. After he finished, the ANBU departed to report to the Hokage, and Sasuke and Kakashi were once again left alone.

"Excellent job, Sasuke," Kakashi said warmly. "Those were some skilled combinations of ninjutsu and taijutsu. You defended yourself well."

Sasuke merely stood there, and face pensive, which worried Kakashi. Was he was contemplating whether to stay here in Konoha or go with the Sound ninja to Orochimaru? There was little else he could do to convince him, other than what he had already said.

Several minutes passed by before Sasuke finally spoke. "About our discussion earlier--I believe you were cut off by the Sound ninja before you were able to finish," he said, looking up at Kakashi with a wan smile.

Relieved, Kakashi met the smile with one of his own, and the rest of their conversation continued without interruption.

XXXX

Itachi waited at the outskirts of Konoha, perched up high in a tree to prevent himself from being discovered by a casual scan of the area. He had traded his normal Akatsuki look of the tall black cloak with clouds and kasa for the simple ninja outfit that he often wore when he was younger. Over his clothing he wore a simple, hooded black cloak, which shouldn't be too suspicious because many travellers favored them. Besides, Itachi thought to himself, he didn't plan on entering the village through the main entrance.

Night had long since fallen over the sky, providing him with the cover of darkness. He had to be an extension of the wind, an inobtrusive part of the background that no one would take notice of long enough to be any problem.

He jumped down from the tree and proceeded forward, using his sharingan to scan the perimeters of the walls. He noticed one small section of the wall that wasn't being as closely guarded as other areas and decided to enter from there. He climbed up the wall quickly and noiselessly made his way to the top. The nearby shinobi were in the midst of a conversation, and Itachi took advantage of this to leap off the wall and down into the village.

No trouble yet. He vaulted from roof to roof, towards his old home. Just thinking about it made Itachi hesitate for a moment atop a tall building, before looking forward with a renewed determination and starting once again towards the Uchiha estate.

A couple of minutes later, there he was, standing right in front of where it all began. It was ghostly silent there, like something out of a dream. Itachi couldn't believe that five years had gone by since he had last set foot in the estate. The last time, he had been gazing down at his parents' lifeless bodies, their blood mixed together on the floor below him.

He shook his head from the morbid thoughts and took a step forward, his hand twitching towards the handle of the gate. He grasped it and pushed it open, a familiar sharp creak of the rusty hinges piercing the unearthly silence as he stepped inside the grounds. All the lights were off inside the house, but that didn't mean that nobody was home. He walked cautiously, alert for any signs of an ambush, though he detected no traces of chakra that would indicate the presence of a shinobi.

There was a rustle in the bushes to his left, and before his mind could register anything, his body had already responded by throwing a shuriken at the source of the noise. The bushes ceased moving after his lightning-quick assault. He slowly approached the bush, and spotted the corpse of a small rabbit beneath its twisted branches. He let out a small snort, calming his body down. He couldn't believe he had allowed himself to be startled so easily. Or perhaps it was because Sasuke resided here, and that rustling in the bush could have very well been him.

Would he have acted so fast then? It could have been Sasuke sitting dead in the bush instead of the rabbit, victim to his hyper-responsive reflexes. That definitely wouldn't match his primary purpose here. He stared once again at his home, feeling overshadowed by it despite the lack of sunlight. Taking a deep breath, Itachi entered through the door, stepping inside to a wave of memories.

XXXX

By the end of the day, Sasuke was exhausted from the day's events. After their encounter with the four Sound ninja, he and Kakashi had continued their delayed discussion of Sasuke's future.

Sasuke and Kakashi had come to the agreement that nothing could assuage Sasuke's desire to avenge his family and defeat his brother, so Kakashi would continue to train him to perfect his existing techniques and to learn new ones, as well as instruct him in improving his ability to use his sharingan. They would also work on controlling the curse mark, which Kakashi had noticed he had trouble fighting off when angry, similar to Naruto and his internal struggles with the Kyuubi.

It was very late by the time Sasuke made it home to the Uchiha estate. His bed called to him, and he looked forward to getting some well-deserved rest. As Sasuke walked back to his house, he couldn't help but feel something was off. Something reeked of death to the left of him, in the bushes. Moving over to it, he found a rabbit, dead, pinned to the ground by a shuriken. Judging by the fading heat of its corpse, it hadn't been dead for more than ten minutes. Immediately Sasuke brought up his guard, activating his sharingan and scanning the area for any other irregularities.

He started forward cautiously, senses heightened and prepared for an attack. He entered the estate as quietly as possible, sweeping each room with his sharp gaze in search of any traps that might be scattered around. After several minutes of slow, methodical searching, he had examined nearly all of the grounds, and still there were no signs of an intrusion, but he didn't dare drop his guard yet.

The final room that he had to check was his room, and he approached it with a strange dread. Peering around the corner, and he tensed immediately when he caught sight of a cloaked figure standing in the middle of his room, gazing at his desk and the pictures that sat upon it. Forcing himself to remain utterly silent, Sasuke readied himself for an attack, gathering chakra in his hand, and was about to charge when the figure spoke.

"I'd prefer it if we talked before you resort to a more violent means of greeting," the figure said to him, the tone neutral.

Sasuke stepped through the doorway, shock coursing through him, followed closely by a terrible, rising rage. He knew that voice, heard it in his nightmares. He could never mistake it for anyone else...

The figure turned slowly, and Sasuke found himself face to face with the person responsible for his single-minded drive for power: his own brother, Uchiha Itachi.


	3. The Pain of Memories

Author: Lyricale

Summary: What really happened that night five years ago when Itachi murdered everyone in his clan, except Sasuke? Is he a cold blooded murderer, or is there something beneath the surface?

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own the characters Itachi or Sasuke or any of the Naruto universe, which belongs to its creator, Masashi Kishimoto. _

**A SINISTER PRICE**

The Pain of Memories

XXXX

"_You!_" Sasuke all but screamed, unable to prevent his body from shaking with the rage he felt towards his brother. "I can't believe this! I can't believe you have the nerve show your fucking face after the shit you pulled here! You actually expect me to sit here and listen to what _you _have to say?"

Itachi stood silently and let Sasuke continue his fit of anger. It was only right, he thought, to let him vent. Their last encounter hadn't been the friendliest, and Itachi felt that this one would be even more thick with tension and hatred.

"Sasuke." Itachi tried to sound more like the brother he used to be for Sasuke but found it extremely hard, only able to meet the less mocking tone halfway. "I understand why you are upset. I cannot reprimand you for wanting to attack me right now. Since it was I who pointed out that you lacked hate, it is only fitting that you would try to disprove me now."

It was too late now. Sasuke wasn't paying attention or registering anything Itachi said. In a blind fit of murderous rage, he formed Chidori in his hand and charged, too far gone to realize that he had already used the attack twice today: once against Naruto, once against the Sound shinobi.

He was struck with a sense of deja vu when the attack fizzled out before he could reach Itachi.

Itachi captured Sasuke's wrist in his hand, the grip firm, to prevent his brother from trying any other jutsus against him. Sometimes things needed to be handled with controlled force, especially in this case. It was obvious that he would never get through to Sasuke unless he had calmed enough to pay attention.

Sasuke struggled viciously against Itachi's hold, using his other arm to throw a sucker punch. Itachi caught the swinging fist effortlessly with his free hand, noting that Sasuke obviously had been very active during the day to be so drained of energy.

Sasuke continued to struggle, growing more exhausted with every helpless burst of resistance. No matter how much he wanted to use this opportunity to finally avenge his family, this situation had caught him completely off guard, and he couldn't find it within himself to muster up enough strength to do it.

"Sasuke, all I ask for is a little bit of your time. Considering that you really don't have any choice in the matter, you may as well stop whining like a little child and listen to me," Itachi said, and very quietly, the phrase almost inaudible, adding, "_please_."

Sasuke stared into his brother's eyes, and what he saw there--or, more accurately, didn't see--shocked him. Itachi's eyes lacked the usual loathing and thinly-veiled disdain that Sasuke remembered seeing the last time they had met face to face. In fact, the sharingan was absent all together, and Sasuke swore to himself that he could actually see traces of desperation and remorse. It was like he was looking at his brother five years ago.

"Nii-san..." Sasuke whispered the word so quietly he wasn't even sure he said it out loud until Itachi's reaction informed him that he had indeed spoken aloud.

He simply stared at Sasuke, his eyes much wider than they were, but they soon returned to normal. It was enough of a response for Sasuke to swallow his pride and determination for a few minutes. Just a few.

"Fine. You have five minutes," he said coldly, and Itachi released him from his hold. He narrowed his eyes, suspicion warring with genuine curiosity about what his brother could possibly have to say. "I'll listen to you, but if you say anything or do anything that pisses me off in any way, you had better get the hell out and never come back, because the next time we'll see each other will be when I find you and kill you,"

"You are probably confused as to why I'm even here," Itachi began, sitting down on Sasuke's bed in hopes of letting him know that he truly meant no harm. He frowned as he considered his next words. "I have enough trouble answering that question for myself, so explaining it won't be easy for me."

Sasuke remained motionless, unsure of why he had decided to listen to what his brother was going to say. They both sat in silence for a while until Itachi continued speaking.

"Five years ago feels like such a long time, but now that I'm inside the house where it all began, it feels like it happened only yesterday," Itachi said, choosing his words carefully. "We shared some good memories together here, Sasuke. They may not have existed in great quantity, but those that did had...a quality to them. I know I was more secluded than most people my age, but--" Itachi sighed, finding this much harder then he had imagined, years of ruthless emotional discipline resisting the words he tried to force out. "I really did--care about you."

Itachi mentally grimaced at the halting way the sentence had forced itself past his lips. Was he so weak that he would let a few words overpower him? He was Itachi, he never let anyone or any_thing_ overwhelm him.

Consumed by his thoughts and self-recrimination, he didn't take notice of Sasuke sitting in stunned silence. His eyes had grown wide at the words, and he felt slightly light-headed, as though he were dreaming--a very odd dream, to say the least. Was his brother saying what he really thought he was? Maybe it was an illusion of some sort, meant to get him to lower his guard down so Itachi could kill him with a single strike.

"What the hell are you trying to pull?" Sasuke said suspiciously, gaze sweeping the room, searching for any abnormalities that might indicate the presence of a genjutsu. "I thought you said that you weren't going to use any attacks against me."

Itachi laughed mirthlessly with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "This is no genjutsu, Sasuke. Difficult though it may be for you to accept, I am indeed speaking the truth."

Sasuke watched Itachi's eyes the whole time, and the look that shadowed them was proof enough that this was no lie. He found himself more disturbed than relieved by this revelation; he would have preferred this to be a shallow attempt to take him out. Uncertain of how to respond, he said nothing.

The two brothers remained locked in silence for a while, broken only by the chirping of crickets outside.

Finally, Itachi took a deep breath, and resumed speaking. "There is something that I've wanted to tell you, Sasuke...something that will change our lives irrevocably once you hear it," he said, forcing his worries and doubts to the back of his mind. He couldn't retreat now.

Sasuke leaned forward, intrigued in spite of himself. What was Itachi about to reveal that he hadn't been able to during their previous encounters? His light-headedness grew, and he felt himself breathing more quickly, a painful, steady pounding growing in his head that he attributed to the emotional rollercoaster he had been riding all day.

"Sasuke, five years ago, I was--"

Itachi had gotten no further than that when a sudden and terrible pain lanced through Sasuke, as though he were being stabbed over and over by an invisible dagger. He screamed, dropping to his knees, all the strength leaving his legs. He began to writhe around on the floor, clutching his side in agony. His vision began to blur, and his breath came faster and shallower. The pounding in his head spiked, and nausa swept through him. He bent, over, stomach heaving. He was soon too far gone to even scream anymore, his throat so tight and hoarse that he could hardly have forced a whisper past it, much less a scream.

"Wha--what are--you--d-doing--?" he rasped, vision dimming as he stared up at his brother helplessly. He blinked and felt warm trails of liquid stream down his face, but he was too wracked by agony to even care that he was showing weakness by crying in front of his brother.

Itachi stared at the scene in horror. How could he have been so stupid, so reckless? He had walked right into their trap, completely oblivious. He'd thought he could tell Sasuke everything without consequence. What a fool he had been.

Sasuke vomited on the floor, pulling Itachi out of his daze so he could focus on what was happening. There was blood in the vomit and on Sasuke's lips. Itachi knew there was only one way to fix this, even if he had to risk exposure. He pulled the hood of his cloak over his head, gently picked his writhing brother up off of the ground, and headed for the hospital as fast as he could.

XXXX

There was one nurse preparing to leave when Itachi entered Konoha's hospital. She jumped, startled, when Itachi burst through the door, a pale Sasuke groaning weakly in his arms.

"Oh my--what's happened here? That boy looks horrible! Wait, is that...? Sasuke! What's happened to him?" The woman ran over to the desk and and spoke a few rushed sentences into an intercom. Thirty seconds felt like a lifetime for Itachi as people began to respond to the emergency.

The nurse ran back over to Itachi, reaching out a hand as though to touch Sasuke, but pulling it back at the last moment, as if afraid to hurt him. "What happened to him? The sooner we know, the sooner we can help him, and he doesn't look like he has much time." She looked up at Itachi, unable to see his face, the hood of the cloak shadowing most of it.

"His symptoms are indicative of a severe case of arsenic poisoning. He needs medical attention _now_," Itachi replied, his voice clipped.

"Arsenic poisoning?" The nurse blinked with shock for moment before regaining her composure. "How on earth did he get--"

She was interrupted by the arrival of a doctor and several medical assistants. A stretcher was wheeled out and the nurses instructed Itachi to put Sasuke on the stretcher. Before he put Sasuke down, Itachi bent his head down and quietly whispered something to him. The doctor approached him with urgency.

"I need you to explain what happened to the boy," he said, the calm in his voice laced with the steel of command.

"He says that the boy, Sasuke, ingested a severe dose of arsenic," the nurse said, answering the question for Itachi.

"Thank you, Kaori." The doctor turned to Itachi. "How long since he ingested the arsenic?"

Itachi hesitated. For the symptoms to have shown, the arsenic must have been introduced to Sasuke's system several minutes before. "Fifteen minutes. Possibly more or less."

The doctor nodded sharply and began barking out orders to his hovering assistants, and Sasuke was quickly wheeled away, leaving Itachi in silence.

Kaori returned after a moment. "Sir, we're going to need you to remain here for questioning once we've got him stabilized," she said, eyeing Itachi with suspicion.

He didn't care right at that moment what she thought of him. All he could think about was Sasuke. "Is he going to be all right?" he asked, his overwhelming sense of remorse seeping into the question.

The nurse's expression softened as she replied, "It's a good thing you got him to us straight away. Orogastric lavage is only really effective in the first hour after poisoning, and with such severe symptoms...in the next few hours, we'll be emptying his stomach of the poison, possibly following through with chelation therapy. It's important to get the poison out of his bloodstream as well. But even if all goes well, it will be weeks before he is fully recovered." She heard Itachi let out a shaky breath after she finished.

"Would you like me to take you to the waiting area?" she asked. "That way you'll be the first one notified once we have news."

Itachi nodded his head almost gratefully, and he followed her in silence, trying to ignore the singing tension in his nerves.

Hours passed, and before Itachi knew it, dawn was peeking over the horizon. The intensive care unit sign still flashed red, meaning they weren't finished treating Sasuke. The hours spent sitting had drained Itachi of all energy, leaving him exhausted. He watched the sign intently, impatiently waiting for it to flash off and signal a success.

Throughout the night, he'd had to endure several probing questions from passing nurses and doctors who were suspicious of his reluctance to reveal his identity, but due to the seriousness of the situation, none had had the chance to question it further.

Itachi picked up the sound of distant voices approaching from down the hall, loud enough that he could hear the discussion. One voice he identified as belonging to one of the doctors, and his attention sharpened.

"Is he going to recover, then?"

Itachi recognized this voice as Kakashi's, and he stiffened. He couldn't linger in the hospital much longer at this rate, but for the moment he continued to listen to what the doctor had to say.

"Yes, we used orogastric tubes to extract most of the poison from his stomach. It's going to take a week or two for Sasuke to fully recover, but his life shouldn't be in any danger now," the doctor replied.

"That's good news. Did you ever figure out how he was poisoned in the first place? Arsenic, you said it was? That's not something I can imagine Sasuke mistakenly ingesting," Kakashi remarked.

The doctor nodded in agreement. "Yes, a young man brought him in. In fact, he's still here right now, waiting in the intensive care area. He won't tell us his name or take his cloak off, but he didn't want to leave until he knew Sasuke had responded to the treatment. We respected his wishes for anonymity under the assumption that an enemy of Konoha wouldn't have bothered saving Sasuke."

Kakashi digested this information. "Could you take me to him? I'd like to speak to the man, if it isn't too much trouble."

The doctor nodded and the sound of their approaching footsteps grew in volume.

Kakashi turned the corner and was met with a breeze of air. The waiting area was empty. The doctor looked on in confusion. "The young man was just here a minute ago. He waited here all night. It's very odd that he would choose to all of a sudden get up and leave."

"Perhaps he didn't want to encounter any ninja, whoever he was." Kakashi stared at the empty space for a moment with a thoughtful expression and then turned away with a shrug. "Once Sasuke wakes up, I'm sure he'll be able to tell us who it was. We'll just have to wait for now."

XXXX

Sasuke woke to disorientation and a slight nausea. His vision was blurry, and he blinked rapidly as his eyes adjusted to the light. The best he could do was make out three shapes. One was a mixture of grey, black, and green. The next was pink and red, and the last was yellow and bright orange, which made his eyes hurt more. He closed them for a moment and rubbed them. The next time he opened them he was able to focus on the three forms he assumed were Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto.

"Wha-what happened?" he asked, and found that his voice was still raspy. He nodded gratefully when Kakashi handed him a cup of ice chips to suck on. As he melted them on his tongue, Kakashi answered his question.

"I could ask you the same thing, but I'll answer you first. You've been resting for three days after ingesting a severe dose of arsenic, large enough that the symptoms took effect almost immediately," Kakashi explained. "You were brought to the hospital, and they were able to extract the poison to a level where you won't be in any danger."

"What the hell happened before that, Sasuke? From what everyone was saying it sounded like you were close to dying on the spot!" Naruto blurted, unable to keep quiet any longer. He wanted to know who it was that came so close to killing Sasuke.

"Naruto, you can be so insensitive!" Sakura snapped, fixing Naruto with an icy glare. "Give poor Sasuke-kun a break and let him regain his strength before he has to answer all of your stupid questions."

"Aw, Sakura, don't be so uptight. You want to know what happened just as bad as the rest of us," Naruto whined back.

As Naruto and Sakura began to bicker, Sasuke tried to recall the events that had led up to his arrival at the hospital. Everything was all still so blurry. Itachi had come to their house, but he wanted only to talk, not fight. Sasuke had let him speak after being convinced that for the time being he wasn't going to attack. He was about to tell him something extremely important. Then, his whole body felt like it was on fire. After that, his memory became spotty, spots of blackness intermixed with bursts of pain.

"Sasuke," Kakashi said, taking him out of his thoughts,"why don't you tell us what happened exactly as you remember it. That means no interruptions, Sakura, Naruto." He focused the reprimand primarily upon Naruto, who looked away innocently.

Sasuke nodded and began to relate the parts of the encounter he could remember to his team, in as much detail as possible. He was able to get through the whole story with only a few incredulous outbursts from Naruto, whose shock at hearing of Itachi's unexpected return was far more expressive than the small flash of surprise on Kakashi's face, which had vanished almost immediately.

Once he finished everyone sat in stunned silence. Sakura was the first to speak.

"He was trying to tell you something? Do you remember what it was?" she asked.

Sasuke shook his head, frustrated. "No, that poison or whatever it was kicked in right before he was going to tell me."

"Did anything hurt in particular when it happened?" Kakashi asked, curious as to how the poison had entered his body in the first place.

Sasuke thought for a moment before replying, "Yeah, actually, my side hurt really bad in the beginning, and it just got worse from there. But all thats there is a birth mark." Sasuke pulled up his shirt to reveal a small birth mark.

Everyone was once again silent with confusion. Sasuke drowned himself in his thoughts again. Why would his brother do that to him when he wanted to tell him something important? It doesn't make sense. But then, who else could have done anything? Sasuke bolted forward, a specific memory from last night leaping to the forefront in his mind.

_Sasuke was barely conscious, and all he could see were nurses and doctors scrambling around. Itachi was still carrying him, and he could hear someone tell Itachi to put him on the stretcher. Before he did, Sasuke felt him lean down next to him, whispering something in his ear._

_"I'm sorry, Sasuke. Please forgive me." _

_Through the haze of pain that made it hard to even think, Sasuke could hear the grief in his brother's whisper. Itachi set him down after that, and then blackness closed in around him._

Why would Itachi apologize to him? He had sounded so distressed. Sasuke closed his eyes, dizzy now with confusion rather than illness. Now that Itachi was gone, there was a good chance that the only way he'd be able to get any answers was if he went after Itachi. As soon as he recovered, that's what he'd have to do.


	4. The Price of Knowledge

Author: Lyricale

Summary: What really happened that night five years ago when Itachi murdered everyone in his clan, except Sasuke? Is he a cold blooded murderer, or is there something beneath the surface?

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own the characters Itachi or Sasuke or any of the Naruto universe, which belongs to its creator, Masashi Kishimoto. _

**Author's note: Hello, all! So I recently found out that when you start a new account on fanfiction, it automatically configures it so that only people who are signed in can leave a review, whereas people who want to be anonymous cannot. Imagine my distress when I learned of this. It's fixed now, so anyone can leave a review, and I apologize for not catching this sooner. Also, I've decided that monthly updates work best for me. So you can always expect an update around this time of every month. That's not set in stone, though--who says I won't do two a month every now and then when I'm in a particularly productive writing mood:) Enjoy! **

**A SINISTER PRICE**

**The Price of Knowledge**

XXXX

Itachi sat back on the tree branch, exhausted. Dusk had fallen across the sky, and he was well away from Konoha after being forced to flee from the hospital to avoid facing Kakashi, the copy ninja. The end result would have been a battle of some sort, no matter how many different ways Itachi looked at it. He was an S-ranked missing nin, after all, listed as extremely dangerous in every bingo book.

Itachi stared into the sky, wondering about his brother's condition. He knew he wasn't in any life-threatening danger anymore, but it wasn't enough to loosen the knot of worry in the pit of his stomach.

His thoughts began to steer towards what had caused all of the trouble in the first place--his own foolishness had initiated the whole disastrous sequence of events. That was what bothered him the most. Kisame's sudden orders, appearing seemingly out of nowhere...he should have realized that it was a test and acted accordingly, but he had let himself be blind-sighted by nostalgia, and Sasuke had suffered from his foolishness.

After all, he thought disgustedly, wasn't he known for his keen intellect and exceptional shinobi skills? It just went to prove that anyone could forget all that they learned when something they were emotionally attached to was dangled in front of them.

"I thought you'd be around here," a hooded figure spoke from a separate tree branch. Had he been facing Itachi straight on, he would have seen Itachi's eyes widen in surprise, so absorbed in his thoughts that he had failed entirely to notice the additional presence. "Even so, it was not easy to locate you."

"What do you want?" Itachi gritted out, eyes narrowing as hostility replaced his initial surprise.

The figure laughed cruelly, and when he spoke again, it was mockingly, his voice distorted by a disguising jutsu of some sort. "Come now, Itachi. Is that any to greet the man who holds your life in his hands? Show some respect."

Itachi's hands curled into fists, but he remained silent.

The figure smiled wickedly at his lack of response, savoring the helpless hatred he was bringing forth in the boy. "You know why I have sought you out. It seems you have forgotten what happens when you speak too much. I am glad to have been given the pleasure of reminding you. However, should it happen again...well I won't go into detail, you know what will happen now."

It was the hooded man's low chuckle at the end of his warning that shattered Itachi's calm. He appeared behind the man mid-laugh, sharingan activated, and pressed a kunai to his throat. This only fueled the man's laughter, and Itachi's grip tightened around the kunai, growing more and more infuriated.

"You know you won't do it. You can't afford to. You know what the consequences are, so choose your next move wisely--or has this pointless little adventure taught you nothing?" he asked, his tone practically daring Itachi to make a move.

Itachi shook with restrained rage, and he lowered the kunai, and in that moment, the figure struck. He whirled around, lightning-fast, and landed a hard punch on his left side. A jolt of pain shot through Itachi, and he knew that he had at least a few cracked ribs. He doubled over in pain, holding one hand against his side, each breath feeling like the stab of a knife.

The figure leaned down and spoke quietly into his ear. "Keep this up, and we may have to renegotiate the terms of our initial agreement. Don't test me, boy." The words were cold and sharp, and once they were delivered, the figure vanished.

Itachi slumped back against the tree trunk and probed at his ribcage with careful fingers, assessing the damage. At least three cracked, one of those possibly broken. It wasn't too bad, he decided finally. Shinobi training was hardly gentle, and compared to most serious fights he had participated in, this injury hardly qualified as more than a nuisance. He slowed his breathing and took shallower breaths to ease the strain on his ribs, and his thoughts turned to darker matters.

Things had just become a lot more complicated.

XXXX

A week after Sasuke had nearly died of arsenic poisoning, he was finally on the road to recovery. Once he got the okay from Tsunade, he would be allowed to leave the hospital and continue on with his life.

He had done a lot of thinking over the past few days, so many thoughts running through his head that it was hard to process them all. The whole situation with his brother confused him to no end. He wanted desperately to understand what all of his actions meant. Without him here to directly answer his questions, however, Sasuke was forced to keep wondering.

Kakashi had informed him that Itachi had waited outside the intensive care unit for hours after he was brought in, and hadn't left until Kakashi insisted on meeting the man who had saved Sasuke's life. Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura had spent many afternoons in his hospital bedroom since, debating Itachi's true intentions.

Sakura agreed with any of the theories Sasuke came up with, while Naruto was convinced that it wasn't the real Itachi and that someone had brainwashed him to act that way in order to get close enough to kill Sasuke. Everytime he brought up his idea, he earned a smack on the head from Sakura and a glare from Sasuke.

Everyone avoided the most obvious answer, that Itachi had just wanted to speak to Sasuke, brother to brother. It seemed too simple and innocent an explanation, where Itachi has always been devious and secretive with a hidden meaning in behind every action.

That wasn't good enough for Sasuke. He needed to know more. To do that, he needed to pursue Itachi with more effort than what he had been putting forth before their encounter. It was the only way...

His reverie was broken by the door opening to admit Tsunade, followed by Kakashi. He looked at her expectantly, one week in the hospital being quite long enough for him.

"Hello, Sasuke. How are you feeling today?" she asked, using her diagnostic healing jutsus to ensure that Sasuke was recovering without any problems.

"I feel fine. I just want to get out of here," he said, trying not to sound as impatient as he felt to return to his house.

"Come on now, Sasuke," Kakashi said, sounding slightly amused. "You've been cooped up in the hospital longer than this before. One week is not that bad."

Sasuke glowered at his sensei, embarrassment heating his cheeks.

Tsunade smiled slightly at the exchange. "Yes, you're allowed to leave today, but I'd like to go over a couple of important matters before you go back to the Uchiha Estate."

Sasuke perked up and let his embarrassment fade, giving his full attention to Tsunade.

"I had a team of elite ANBU inspect your house thoroughly," she continued, "for any devices Itachi may have planted during his visit. We wanted to ensure that you were not in any danger or that this wasn't part of some attempt to infiltrate Konoha. They didn't turn anything up, so it should be safe enough for you to return. I still want you to be cautious, however, just in case they missed something."

Sasuke nodded, understanding the measures of caution that were being taken. It annoyed him somewhat, though, knowing that other people were in his house and going through all of his stuff. They should have gotten his permission first before barging in.

Then again, he thought, what good would it have done? They would have carried out their orders regardless of what his answer had been; the safety of the village came before such petty things as social niceties. His annoyance deflated, and his face went back to being neutral.

"Now that you understand the situation, you are free to go. Hopefully, you won't be back anytime soon. You've given us enough of a scare to last us a while," Tsunade said, smiling a bit at the last part.

Sasuke replied with a small smile of his own and bowed his head in thanks.

"Would you like for me to accompany you back to your house, Sasuke?" Kakashi offered. "It would only be a precautionary measure, to make sure you are truly okay to move around."

Sasuke shook his head, not feeling up for any company right now. "Thanks, Kakashi-sensei, but I'll be fine. I'd rather go myself."

Kakashi nodded, an understanding look on his face. He and Tsunade said their goodbyes and departed. Once they were gone, Sasuke's smile disappeared into his normal, serious expression. It was time to get down to business.

XXXX

Sasuke entered his home to find everything exactly where it had been. Had he not been told that a squad of elite ANBU had come and checked for possible bugs or bombs, he wouldn't have suspected a thing. He made his way to his room and halted at the doorway.

The floor was still stained with his blood, and the sour smell of dried vomit filled his nostrils. Sasuke wrinkled his nose in disgust, thinking that the very least ANBU could have done to make up for invading his home was clean that up. The stench alone was enough to drag his thoughts back to that night, and he reflexively grabbed his side.

As soon as he noticed what he was doing, Sasuke stared at the place where his hand lay. He found it odd that that particular area of his body had been the first to react to the poisoning. Lifting his shirt, he stared at the tiny birthmark that marred the skin there. He could not remember seeing it before, but then, he had never looked for it. Perhaps he was just being paranoid.

Sasuke glanced at the spot where Itachi had stood, frowning at the fresh flood of memories. He had been so enraged at the mere sight of his brother that the whole night wasn't as clear as he would have liked it to have been. It made it hard to remember the little details that could help him figure out the mystery that was his brother.

There was one moment that night, however, that remained crystal clear in his memory. That one moment when he had actually felt he was looking at his _brother_, the one who would poke him on the head when he asked for something or carry him home when he was tired. That brother. The same brother that would--Sasuke's breath caught in his throat, and a surge of adrenaline shot through his body as one memory of his childhood in particular came into sharp focus...

_"Nii-san, you're going on another mission? You just got back from your last one. I haven't seen you all week!" The young boy pouted at his older brother as he watched him prepare for his next mission. _

_Itachi laughed quietly at Sasuke's protests. "Come on now, little brother. Once you become a genin, you'll be going on so many missions yourself that you won't find time to sleep."_

_"No way! I'll just be doing D or C-ranked missions. You're already doing A-ranked and S-ranked, and you're only thirteen! I hope I can be as good a shinobi as you someday..." Sasuke trailed off, a faraway look in his eyes._

_Itachi gave Sasuke a somber smile. "It's not as glamorous as you think. I sometimes would prefer doing easier missions than the ones that I am assigned."_

_Sasuke rolled his eyes and shook his head, not believing a word his brother was saying. Itachi bent down and poked him on the head._

_"Aww, nii-san," Sasuke began to complain, but he was cut off by Itachi handing him some papers. He looked down at the white sheets and then up at his brother. "What's this?"_

_"It's a special mission of your own. If you follow the directions correctly, something special will be waiting for you at the destination point," Itachi said, smile widening slightly when his little brother's face lit up with excitement. "I have to leave now, Sasuke. When I return, I expect you to have completed your mission, okay?"_

_"Okay, nii-san! Don't worry! I'll have it finished today!" Sasuke said brightly. _

_After his brother had departed, Sasuke looked at the papers. They contained coordinates that he had to follow, along with a warning that if he didn't follow them accurately enough, he wouldn't find the destination point._

_Sasuke spent two days following the instructions, weaving through the forest until he came to a tall tree. Now he had to find whatever it was Itachi had hidden. He searched all around the tree and found nothing until he looked up at the tree itself, and noticed there was a tiny hollow in the bark, near the top of the tree._

_It took some effort, but a few scratched knees later, he finally made it to the hole. Inside was a rolled up piece of paper that had Itachi's handwriting on it._

_Sasuke,_

_If you are reading this, then you have successfully followed my directions, so congratulations! Hidden in the bushes to your right is some candy for your efforts. Even shinobi have to reward themselves for a job well done every so often, so enjoy your reward, and I will see you when I return._

_-Itachi_

_Sasuke hopped down--it was much easier than going up--and raced over to the bush. Inside, he found the candy, a whole bag full. As he unwrapped one of the candies, he made a mental note to thank his brother when he came back._

Sasuke shook himself out of the past, feeling the same excitement he had when he was given that fake mission. It was a long shot, but there was a possibility that Itachi had used that tree to hide a note for him before leaving the village. Sasuke had saved the papers with the coordinates written on them, thankfully, and retrieved them from a small box with a couple of precious valuables he kept. He fervently hoped that he was onto something.

XXXX

Sasuke stopped in front of the tall tree and stared up at it. The tree had grown some since he had last visited it, but then, so had he. He spotted the same small hole carved into its trunk, just large enough to hold a note. It was much easier to climb the tree now that he was a genin and had the knowledge of chakra control used to walk up trees.

He made his way onto a branch and stared at the hole. His heart was pounding so fast he could feel it, and it left him slightly dizzy. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion as his hand made its way towards the hole. He held his breath as he reached inside.

There was a note. His heart began to pump even faster as he hastily opened the piece of paper, nearly ripping it in his haste.

_Sasuke,_

_If by some miracle you remembered this tree at all, I planted this note in case I was unable to tell you what I wanted to while at our house. My worries were proved right when you nearly died. I don't have much time to write; the party responsible for your poisoning will be coming soon. _

_For five years I have been blackmailed by a man whose identity I still have been unable to discover. It is his fault that our clan is dead, but anymore than that I can't tell you right now. It's too dangerous, I'm sorry. I also cannot come to Konoha anymore now that I am almost certainly being watched, so you'll need to find me if you want the whole story._

_-Itachi _


	5. Shadows and Uncertainty

Author: Lyricale

Summary: What really happened that night five years ago when Itachi murdered everyone in his clan, except Sasuke? Is he a cold blooded murderer, or is there something beneath the surface?

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own the characters Itachi or Sasuke or any of the Naruto universe, which belongs to its creator, Masashi Kishimoto. _

**Author's note: Hello everyone! Thanks so much for being patient with me. I meant to get this chapter out on Tuesday, but that wasn't the case with my beta's busy schedule so I had to bump it back to today. I made sure this chapter was longer than any of my others since I feel like you guys deserve it. Thanks for being so supportive. The positive feedback does a lot of good for me. Hopefully anyone hung up on the manga will really enjoy this (chapter 397 was crazy, right?). Anyway, enjoy the update and I'll see all of you in another month or sooner :)**

**A SINISTER PRICE**

**Shadows and Uncertainty**

XXXX

Sasuke stood frozen, his mind unable to form any sort of coherent thought. A minute passed before he was even able to reread the note to make sure he wasn't imagining what he had just read. Surely this was just some sort of cruel joke. Someone else must have written this. Perhaps it was Naruto; he got his kicks pranking other people all the time...

But no matter how he tried to explain it away, he knew he was only trying to ignore the obvious truth. Only he and his brother knew of this spot, and it was indeed Itachi's handwriting on the note. Sasuke read the note yet again. _For five years I have been blackmailed by a man whose identity I still have been unable to discover. It is his fault that our clan is dead..._.

He had no idea what to make of it--it was too surreal.

So this was what his brother had tried to tell him back at their house? Sasuke wasn't even sure if he believed it now, and wondered how he would have reacted had he been told a week ago. All this time he had been convinced that Itachi was the one responsible for killing their clan...but that still had to be true. He had seen it with his own eyes, relived it over and over in dreams and by force. Now Itachi was telling him that he had been blackmailed into doing the whole thing?

There were too many blanks needed to be filled in. So many unanswered questions swirled in Sasuke's mind, leaving him dizzy and off-balance. He needed to find Itachi and get the truth from him. The first part of the note came to his mind immediately. _I don't have much time to write; the party responsible for your poisoning will be coming soon._

So this mysterious blackmailer was the one who poisoned him? Or someone else? But how? There hadn't been anyone else in the room besides him and Itachi. Unbidden, his thoughts turned to the birthmark on his side...was it more than paranoia?

Enough questions. Sasuke turned sharply and started on the path back to his home, determined to find some answers.

XXXX

Itachi leapt from branch to branch through the forest. His ribs had healed enough that it was no longer painful every time he rotated his body the wrong way. In the week that had passed since his encounter with the cloaked man, he'd had plenty of time to dwell upon the recent events, and it had left him extremely frustrated and irritated.

He loathed the fact that there was someone with the power to push him around like he was little more than a helpless puppy. To make matters worse, he had made no progress in his attempts to discover the man's identity. It was like trying to catch smoke with his bare hands--there was not enough substance to hold onto and no way to pierce that obscuring haze.

And now Sasuke had become a major factor in all of this.

At the thought of his brother, Itachi's lips curved up into a small, involuntary smile. Whoever the man was, he wasn't omniscient. Itachi hoped that by some miracle, Sasuke remembered the tree from long ago. He had planted the note there, desperate for Sasuke to understand. In doing so, however, he had placed Sasuke and himself in a strange predicament.

Sasuke was no doubt going to look for him whether he found the note or not, but if he found him, then the same thing would happen again, maybe even worse. So as Sasuke kept searching for him, he'd have to continue avoiding him or risk involuntarily causing his little brother's death.

Itachi stopped and leaned his hand against a tree trunk. He closed his eyes, clearing the worries and doubts from his mind, letting himself pretend for one moment that none of these problems existed, and life was not one long struggle.

His eyes reopened just as quickly, however, when the presence of others touched his senses. There were six, maybe seven people heading in his direction. From the speed with which they were traveling, they had to be shinobi.

If he fled now, no doubt they would pick up his trail easily and pursue him. His best option was to conceal himself and prevent detection. Itachi hid his presence with well-practiced ease as he waited for the shinobi to pass through. He could see them from a distance, confirming that there were six. Itachi recognized them as ANBU from Konoha and tensed.

They stopped several yards away, close enough for Itachi to listen in on their conversation.

"His trail ends here," said a shinobi with a hawk mask. "Either he found out that we've been following him and took necessary precautions to throw us off, or he's still around."

They were clearly talking about him. Konoha's ANBU selection standards must be slipping, he thought disdainfully. When he had been

"It's unfortunate we don't have someone from the Hyuuga clan with us. Would make it a lot easier to find him," said another shinobi wearing a lynx mask.

"Well, we don't," the hawk shinobi replied, "so let's not complain about what we don't have. And keep in mind that although Hokage-sama wants Uchiha Itachi captured alive for questioning, he's still an extremely dangerous S-ranked missing-nin, so treat him as such."

Itachi frowned at this bit of information. What would they want to question him about? Surely they didn't believe his encounter with Sasuke to have been that much of a threat to the village's safety. Besides, they had Sasuke there to tell them everything that happened, though Itachi knew he had probably kept some information to himself. It still didn't explain their sudden interest in his capture.

Thoughts firmly focused on figuring out Tsunade's motivations, he was genuinely surprised when he felt the tip of a kunai against his back.

"Make one move and I'll sever your spinal cord," a cold voice said from behind him.

The seventh shinobi--it all made sense now. This had been a ploy to get him to drop his guard, if only for a split second, and he felt a grudging approval. He remained still as the rest of the ANBU squad made their way towards them. They looked wary as they approached and kept their guard up, leaving no obvious openings.

The kunai at his back pressed in just a little as its wielder spoke again. "Now move your hands behind your back, slowly."

Itachi did as he was told, and felt something being secured around his wrists, preventing him from forming hand seals. A blindfold was then placed around his eyes, presumably to keep the leaf shinobi from falling prey to any sharingan techniques.

"Don't even think about attempting escape," the hawk ANBU said quietly. "There are seven of us now, and there will be even more to receive you when we return to the village. We are under orders to bring you in alive, but if any one of us thinks you are about to try something, we will not hesitate to lame or cripple you."

Itachi answered with a bare nod. He felt two ANBU members each take one arm, and there was nothing but grim silence as they began moving, back to Konoha village.

XXXX

Sasuke rapidly flipped through the various pages of an old family album his mother had put together in her spare time. There weren't many pictures showing him without a shirt, just a handful of occasions when they had been swimming or fishing on family outings, but it was enough for him to see that in those pictures, there was no sign of the "birthmark" on his skin.

Sasuke stared down once again at the small, dark brown spot. There was definitely more to the mark than just a bit of pigment. The question now was what he was going to do with this information. It would probably be best if he kept it to himself for the time being, until he had the chance to get some answers from Itachi. That time wouldn't be coming soon it seemed, but he would have to be patient. He could uncover as much as he could on his own until then.

Sasuke's head whipped around to the door of his bedroom as two figures appeared. He relaxed slightly at the sight of Kakashi, but eyed Tsunade warily, wondering why she would be here.

"Sorry for the sudden intrusion, Sasuke, but Tsunade and I would like to a have a word with you regarding your encounter with Itachi," Kakashi said.

Tsunade stepped forward. "Sasuke, I understand that you don't remember much from that night you were poisoned, but there are too many blanks that need to be filled in. We need you to remember more details so we can figure out Itachi's reason for attacking you--"

"My brother didn't attack me," Sasuke interrupted, before he could even register what he was saying. "He came to talk, just like he told me, and that's all we did, talk!"

Once the words left his mouth, he tried not to look surprised. Had he just defended his brother? The man who killed their clan, whom he had sworn to kill? There was a small--miniscule would be a better word--part of him that wanted to believe ever since that nightmarish day all those years ago that he had been mistaken, that his brother wasn't evil, that he was still a good person. Could it be that that small part of him was growing?

Kakashi and Tsunade exchanged looks of confusion, clearly uncertain about what to make of this strange outburst.

"Sasuke, is there something that you want to share with us?" Kakashi asked, his voice gentle to keep Sasuke from getting more upset.

Sasuke's face hardened into an emotionless mask as he looked at his sensei. "No," he lied, eyes making contact with the wall behind them. "I can't remember anything from that night except what I've already told you. I'm just as confused as everyone else."

Kakashi nodded, though he looked unconvinced.

"Bullshit!" Tsunade said, eyes narrowed. "Listen, Sasuke, Kakashi may be more sympathetic because he's your sensei, but I'm not. Don't sit there and lie to us. You know something and you're keeping it from your village! You can be locked up for this kind of behavior. You will tell us what you know, or be prepared to face some severe consequences."

Sasuke glared at Tsunade, not liking being told what to do. Only family members were allowed to give him orders, or at least orders that he would follow. Sasuke set his jaw and prepared a retort, only to swallow it when another person appeared between the two parties. Smoke cleared to reveal an ANBU black ops member who wore a badger mask. He walked towards Tsunade and kneeled.

"Hokage-sama, we have received news that the ANBU squad sent out to retrieve Uchiha Itachi have successfully detained him and will be arriving in Konoha shortly."

Sasuke's eyes widened. Though he despised his older brother, he did respect him as a powerful shinobi. He found it hard to believe that he could be captured so easily and taken back to the village without trouble. On the other hand, this would be the perfect opportunity to confront him.

As if she had read his thoughts, Tsunade glanced at him and said, "Don't even think about it. You are going to be nowhere near the gates when Itachi arrives. We don't know if he has some hold over you, and we don't know how he managed to poison you the first time."

Sasuke glared at Tsunade, refusing to drop the matter. "Like hell I'll stay behind! That's my brother we're talking about, and if anyone should have the right to see him, it's me! And I already told you, Itachi wasn't responsible for my poisoning! So you can go ahead and believe what you want, but nothing is going to hold me back from talking to him."

As he struggled to control the anger he currently felt towards the hokage, Kakashi stepped forward in his student's defense. "He does have a point, Tsunade-sama. He knows Itachi better than anyone else, and may be able to provide some unique insights. We should at least let him accompany us to the front gates. I'll keep an eye on him." Kakashi said put a hand on Sasuke's head and ruffled his hair.

Sasuke moved his head away, but didn't complain otherwise. Kakashi was, after all, defending his cause.

Tsunade gave them both a hard look. After a couple of seconds, she conceded, albeit reluctantly. "Very well, you can come, _but _you will remain with Kakashi at all times. If I see you anywhere you shouldn't be, you'll be out of warnings."

Sasuke nodded, accepting the limitation.

"Well! Now that that's settled, why don't we meet them at the gates?" Kakashi suggested.

Tsunade gave a curt nod, and the badger ANBU led the way, the rest of them falling into step behind him. As Sasuke trailed behind Kakashi, he couldn't help but feel that there was more to the matter than met the eye.

XXXX

Sasuke marveled at the staggering number of armed forces that had been assembled within the walls of Konoha. He had never realized how much of a threat Itachi was considered to be. He'd understood it on some level, but to actually be confronted with the reality was something else entirely.

The air was thick with tension as everyone waited for the ANBU squad to arrive, Sasuke being no exception. He let out a breath that he hadn't even realized he was holding. Any minute now his brother would be within yards of him yet again. It would take all of Sasuke's willpower not to confront Itachi the minute he arrived, but he reasoned that it wouldn't be the best thing to disobey the Hokage this time.

Kakashi, who had been watching Sasuke out of the corner of his eye, turned to him. "So, do you feel like telling me what you left out in your recollection of last week's events?" he asked casually.

Sasuke sighed again, unsure of what he should say to his sensei.

"It's complicated," he said, which was true. His next words were less so. "I promise it's nothing critical or potentially dangerous to the village, but I'm still unsure myself of what it means. Give me some time to figure this out."

For a second, Kakashi looked like he wanted to say something, but then he gave a half-shrug and turned his attention back on the gates. Time seemed to crawl at a snail's pace as they waited, every minute feeling more like an hour to Sasuke. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he spotted the distant outline of figures approaching the gates. Murmurs began to spread.

The ANBU squad finally reached the gate, and he could see Itachi guarded on all sides by the seven masked shinobi who made up his escort. Sasuke watched as they walked toward Tsunade and the armed forces positioned to take him from there.

"Uchiha Itachi," Tsunade began, voice firm with authority, "you have been detained and are to be taken in for questioning upon the matter of your return a week ago. After the interrogation, the Village Council will meet to determine your fate."

Itachi gave no response.

Sasuke frowned, uncertain of what to make of this. He was distracted by the feeling that something was writhing inside of his stomach--something was wrong. Activiating his sharingan, he examined Itachi, and his eyes widened in shock at what he saw. He didn't know if he should be relieved or upset.

Slipping his hand into his weapons pouch, he discreetly withdrew three kunai. Then, in one swift motion, he threw them--directly at his brother.

Kakashi spun to face him at the sudden movement. "Sasuke!" he called out, but the cry came far too late.

The sudden attack had caught even the high-strung escort off guard, though three kunai that a few of the more quick-fingered shinobi had thrown to block the strike flew through the air, deflecting two of Sasuke's three kunai. The one that got past hit Itachi in the chest, and Tsunade whipped her head around, eyes narrowing as Sasuke approached them. The ANBU squad shifted with dangerous energy, looking prepared to attack him if he tried anything else.

"Sasuke," she said, sounding furious, "you were given specific orders to stay with Kakashi! By attacking Itachi--"

She broke off, startled into silence, when the edges of Itachi's figure began to waver. Within seconds, his entire form had dissolved in a swirl of mist and air, while everyone looked on in shock.

"Sorry to burst your bubble," he said into that stunned silence, "but as you can see, that's definitely not Itachi."

"What the hell the just happened! It was already confirmed that it wasn't a shadow clone."

Sasuke sighed, unwilling to explain what was a closely-guarded family secret, but knowing that if he didn't, he might be suspected of helping Itachi escape somehow.

"There is a special jutsu known only to members of the Uchiha clan. It's very similar to the shadow clone technique, but it's such a convincing illusion that the only way it can be uncovered is through the use of the sharingan. He must have used it because he knew it couldn't be detected by anyone but me and Kakashi-sensei. It has the same flaw as a shadow clone, though--when pierced by anything, it disperses into nothing."

Kakashi looked thoughtful, and Sasuke wondered if he had managed to learn anything of the technique just by watching it unravel. The ANBU shinobi were masked, so he couldn't see their expressions, but judging by their body language, they were frustrated--and embarrassed.

Tsunade was the first to recover. "Damn it!" she exclaimed, clearly frustrated at having come so close to learning more about Itachi's unusual behavior, only to be thwarted at the last moment.

They should have known better. Sasuke smiled slightly despite the situation. He knew something had felt terribly off; Itachi wouldn't have let himself be taken so easily. Uchihas never went down without a fight, and Sasuke reflected that he was glad it had turned out this way.

XXXX

Itachi wondered how long it would take before the Hidden Leaf shinobi realized they had been escorting not the dangerous criminal they had thought, but a construct of shadow. He had been amused as he watched them take his clone away, so cautious. Sasuke would no doubt be upset when he found out.

As Itachi made his way towards the current Akatsuki hideout, he wondered what occasion had warranted the summons he'd received to meet for a special briefing. His physical presence wasn't necessary--he could have used the technique that allowed him to project his presence there--but he had been close enough to the hideout that it had seemed easier to make a personal appearance.

When he arrived, he spotted Kisame, who looked a little bruised and beaten and wondered, not for the first time, just what the special assignment he had been called away for was. Kisame spotted him and nodded his head towards Itachi.

"Itachi-san, it is good to see you well," he said.

"Kisame, it is--unusual to you not looking as well as normal. How did you sustain those injuries?" Itachi asked, hoping to gain some answers about the nature of his partner's mission.

"Perhaps now is not the best time to discuss it, Itachi-san," Kisame replied.

Itachi nodded and said nothing more. They took their places and waited for the rest of the Akatsuki to show up.

One by one, the other members of Akatsuki who were able to appear on such short notice arrived. Pain, Konan, Deidera, Sasori, Itachi, and Kisame were all present. The only ones absent were Zetsu and Tobi, who has not yet been inducted into Akatsuki.

Pain stepped forward and began to question members on their progress towards capturing their assigned Jinchuuriki. Itachi let Kisame do all of the talking as he stared off into space, not really paying attention to anything. The next thing Pain said brought Itachi out of his drifting thoughts.

"We have received some intelligence on Orochimaru's movements over these past couple of months. According to our sources, he is planning on doing a body transfer with one Uchiha Sasuke." Pain chanced a look at Itachi, whose face remained carefully blank.

He continued. "Apparently he offered the boy more power if he joined him, but he turned down the offer and remained in Konoha. Orochimaru has found a way to prolong his necessary body transfer for a short while longer. This is an opportune moment for Akatsuki to strike down Orochimaru before he becomes too powerful, especially if he successfully attains Sasuke's body. We will not commit to a full strike, as there are some...current projects that cannot be delayed at this time, so myself and Konan will take care--"

"What do you mean you and Konan will be taking care of this?" Itachi interrupted. He tried to remain calm on the surface, but inside he was boiling with anger. "If anybody should handle this situation at all it should be me. I request that myself and Kisame to be assigned this mission instead."

Pain was silent for a couple seconds before replying. "I don't think that's the best option given your recent encounter with Konoha village. You're becoming too visible and exposing you further risks revealing the existence of Akatsuki to those who having been taking notice. Your request is denied. I don't want to see you within one hundred miles of Konoha when this attack takes place."

Itachi glared down at the floor, shaking slightly with rage, but forced himself to regain his composure. Now was not the time to lose his temper. He had to discover when this was supposed to happen.

Pain stared at Itachi, looking like he knew the direction of his thoughts. "In the interests of sparing you the temptation, I will not reveal Orochimaru's plans for his attack," he said, making it clear that he considered it his last word on the matter. His gaze left Itachi and he addressed the rest of Akatsuki this time when he spoke, "This concludes the meeting. You are free to leave."

Itachi's fists were clenched slightly and he refused to make eye contact with Pain for fear of activating the mangekyou sharingan with his rage. He would have to find out on his own when Orochimaru planned to attack Sasuke. It must be soon, Itachi was certain. Orochimaru had to be exerting a lot of energy to keep his body switch from happening.

Itachi and Kisame left in silence. After walking for a few minutes, Itachi spoke. "Kisame, I plan on going to Konoha no matter what Pain said, and I'm sure you know that. I don't expect you to accompany me as this could get us into severe trouble--"

"Not a problem, Itachi-san, I planned on going with you either way. Someone needs to watch your back and it looks like I'm that person," Kisame said, baring his teeth in a fierce-looking smile.

Itachi looked at Kisame and bowed his head in thanks, unable to respond with any other gesture. It was nice to have someone who understood him, if only a little, and would support him. His life since leaving Konoha had been greatly lacking in any such people.

Turning his attention towards the future, Itachi wondered how he was going to pull this off. Every part of his life seemed to be revolving around Sasuke recently. No matter how, Itachi knew he had to prevent this from happening. Being used by Orochimaru was not Itachi's idea of a desirable fate. No, he thought grimly, he would make certain the only future that awaited Orochimaru would be his death.


	6. Desperation

Author: Lyricale

Summary: What really happened that night five years ago when Itachi murdered everyone in his clan, except Sasuke? Is he a cold blooded murderer, or is there something beneath the surface?

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own the characters Itachi or Sasuke or any of the Naruto universe, which belongs to its creator, Masashi Kishimoto. _

**Author's Note: Hello all! Here's the new chapter! Sorry it's a couple months late, but hopefully the length will make up for it! :)**

**A SINISTER PRICE**

**Desperation**

XXXX

"No way! It was a fake? Man, I wish I could have been there...why didn't anyone _tell me_?" Naruto whined upon hearing about what had happened earlier in the day regarding the fake Itachi.

Team Seven was currently having dinner together as suggested by Kakashi, who felt the team needed some "bonding time." After much prodding from Naruto, and Kakashi's increasing exasperation with his antics, Sasuke grudgingly relayed the events of earlier that day to them. Naruto was, unsurprisingly, infuriated for having been left out, claiming that he deserved to have been there just as much as Sasuke.

Everyone just sat and rolled their eyes, letting him rant in typical over-the-top Naruto fashion until he eventually calmed down. Sakura only half followed his tirade, quietly absorbing the new information. Sasuke watched her, thrown off by the lack of praise for his bravery or concern for his safety that she usually expressed. She and Naruto could always be counted on to carry the burden of conversation, but today she didn't seem to be paying attention to Naruto at all. It was...unusual.

Sasuke reluctantly relegated this strange observation to the back of his thoughts. He had enough to deal with at the moment and wasn't particularly enthused about adding yet another mystery to his growing pile of unanswered questions. Too many questions; it was eating at him to keep it all to himself, but who could he tell?

He could trust Naruto--he may be an annoying brat most of the time, but he was loyal to a fault--but Naruto's idea of an appropriate response would be to take off charging all of his enemies and get himself killed. Kakashi, for all that he cultivated the appearance of a lazy pervert, had a sharp mind and could probably offer the best advice, but there was a risk he would relay the information to Tsunade.

He eyed Sakura, absently picking at her plate of dumplings, once again. Her temper was as volatile as Naruto's sometimes, but it never lasted, even with Naruto's impressive, if unintentional, ability to seriously annoy her sometimes. And she was not the type of person to use information for selfish gain, nor would she take off on a suicidal crusade like Naruto. She would listen, and--maybe that was what he needed right now, more than answers.

He waited until dinner was over--Naruto helped himself to the barely-touched remains of Sakura's plate--before approaching her.

"Sakura, walk with me?" he casually asked.

Her eyes widened with surprise and then confusion before her brow furrowed. She was silent for a couple of seconds before nodding. "Sure, Sasuke-kun."

They walked in silence for a while before Sasuke finally gathered up the nerve to start speaking. "Listen, Sakura, can I trust you to keep a secret?" He paused, struck by a sudden reluctance to continue. Maybe this was a mistake.

"I--Of course, Sasuke-kun. I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"I have your word on that?" Sasuke clarified, not wanting to take any chances.

Sakura replied with a sincere nod.

After a quick scan of the immediate area to verify there were no eavesdroppers, Sasuke let out a breath and braced himself. "Ever since my encounter with my brother, my life has become a thousand times more complicated. I don't know what to believe anymore. He left me a note saying that it wasn't his fault that our clan was killed, that he was blackmailed," Sasuke paused and looked at Sakura to see how she would react to that last bit.

They had both stopped walking. Sakura's eyes were once again wide as she listened to the new information. It was some time before she finally spoke. "Is this what he was trying to tell you when you were poisoned?"

Sasuke nodded. "The note also said that someone else was responsible for my poisoning." He frowned. "No doubt the same person blackmailing Itachi."

"You believe it, then? You think Itachi is telling the truth?"

Sasuke stared at the ground, wondering what he really felt. There was a part of him, the part that had been angry for so long, that sneered at the very thought of trusting the brother he _knew_ had betrayed his family, betrayed him. But no matter how deeply he'd tried to bury it, part of him was still the boy who loved and worshipped his older brother. Both were blinded by emotional bias, and there wasn't enough proof to support either. He hated making decisions based on emotion or gut feelings--that was Naruto's thing, not his. But there was nothing else; just this once, he would give his brother the benefit of the doubt.

"Yes, I do believe he's telling the truth. Don't ask me why," he added, because the only thing worse than letting himself be guided by intuition was admitting to it. He resumed walking; the longer Sakura looked at him, the more uncomfortably exposed he felt.

She caught up a few paces later. "What's your next step? You must have a plan of some sort."

"I'm...not sure," he admitted reluctantly. "There's a problem. When Itachi was talking to me and the poison entered my body, I remember my side hurting before feeling the poison's effects. I did some research in the family archives, but I couldn't find anything at first. But there were a few old photographs there too."

The memory still unsettled him; an eerie revelation in the midst of all those long-dead faces.

"I remember having this mark since birth," he continued, lifting his shirt to show Sakura, who blushed slightly, "but there were two photos where my stomach was visible, from when I was four and then seven. In neither of them do I have it. It must have appeared some time after that. I think it must have something to do with the poison. Triggered it or something, like an old curse seal that's been activated. Whatever its exact purpose, it's clear that whoever placed it there had some pretty long-term plans--and they were smart enough to get the best of my brother. Whoever it is, I am going to find this person and stop them, and get some answers while I'm at it."

Sakura surprised him by not remarking on the danger or peppering him with questions. "Whatever you decide to do, Sasuke-kun, I want to help. This isn't something you should be handling by yourself," she said instead, and he was startled by how commanding she sounded.

They both walked in a silence that wasn't entirely comfortable, but wasn't awkward either. He stole glances at her from time to time, and was darkly amused at the realization that he'd probably watched her more on this one day than he had in the last three months combined.

"You're starting to train in the field of healing, correct?"

Sakura nodded at his question. "Yes, Tsunade-sama has accepted me as her apprentice. I'm going to begin very soon, actually."

"Good, then there is something you can do for me that would be really helpful. I'm going to be looking for Itachi, and when I find him, the same thing could happen again with the poison. I can't afford that great of a handicap. As Tsunade's apprentice, you'll have access to scrolls that an ordinary shinobi would need special permission to read. I need you to do some research and figure out if there's any way to disspell or seal whatever jutsu created this in the first place."

"All right," Sakura said, "I'll see if I can find out. There must be some way to get rid of it, and I'll find it."

Sasuke caught himself giving Sakura another appreciative glance and quickly turned his head to hide it. She had asked if she could help, so it shouldn't be a surprise that she was so determined to do so. He was just glad there _was_ something she could do; the fact that it wasn't anything potentially life-threatening was a plus.

"Is there anything else I can do to help? Or anything you want to talk about?" Sakura asked.

"No, that was all. And please keep the research you're doing to yourself. Don't let anyone catch on to what you're doing. I don't want more people than necessary to get involved."

"Of course, I won't tell anyone. You can trust me," she replied, shooting him a small smile.

Their discussion had taken longer than he'd expected; Sakura's apartment came into view as they turned the corner. He walked with her up to the door and stopped behind her.

"Goodnight," she said, looking squarely at the door as she fumbled for her keys and opened the door.

Before Sasuke could help himself, he caught Sakura's hand and she jolted at the contact, twisting around to meet his stare. There was no blushing or stuttering this time, just quiet regard, and Sasuke didn't know if it was a battle of wills or something else.

"Thanks for listening," he said finally. "It really helped to clear my thoughts, and I...appreciate your wanting to help." Sasuke supposed he shouldn't be surprised to find himself having trouble articulating his feelings; it was a trait he apparently shared with Itachi.

"You don't need to thank me," she said, eyes widening fractionally. "We're--teammates, right? I'm honored that you were willing to confide in me so much.".

They locked gazes for one more lingering moment before Sasuke broke his stare and turned away. "Goodnight, Sakura."

And he was gone.

XXXX

"I don't know anything, I swear! Please, just let me go!"

The focus of Itachi's attention was currently being held up against a tree by the front of his shirt, feet dangling above the ground. Sweat broke out behind his headband, which bore the single note of a Sound ninja, as Itachi glared up at the man, his sharingan activated. He jerked him away from the tree and then slammed him hard against it, bark buckling under the repeated applications of force. Itachi doubted the tree would survive another impact, but the Sound nin looked like he was on the verge of breaking.

"Then if you know nothing, I have no further use for you," Itachi said, his voice cold as ice.

"I might," Kisame said, flashing a razor-sharp grin. "As target practice."

The man shook his head vigorously, petrified with fear, and his words came out rushed and shaky. "Wait! Listen, Orochimaru-sama only confides in his closest followers. I don't know anything about his plans to abduct Sasuke, only that he is going to."

Itachi seethed in silent frustration. They was getting nowhere with this interrogation and he needed answers--fast. He needed to know if this man truly knew nothing, and to do that, he needed to use the mangekyou sharingan.

Itachi shut his eyes, then reopened them and stared into the man's eyes. No more then a second passed before the man let out an ear-piercing scream and slumped in Itachi's grip. He released the Sound nin, letting him fall to the ground, and deactivated his sharingan. He turned to Kisame.

"He knows nothing," Itachi said, mouth twisting bitterly. It felt as though the entire universe had aligned itself against him today; what would it take for him to find someone who actually possessed useful information?

Itachi caught a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye and whirled around, ready for a fight. Kisame watched the rear. A crippled old man hobbled into view, supporting himself with the help of a cane. He wore a tattered woolen cloak with a deep hood that obscured his face.

"What do you want, old man?" Itachi gritted out angrily, venting his frustration on the elderly man.

"You seek Orochimaru, no?" the man queried, instantly piquing both Akatsuki members' attention.

The timing was nearly too coincidental to be believed, and Itachi eyed the man suspiciously. "What could an old peasant like you possibly know about Orochimaru?"

The man chuckled softly before speaking. "You would be surprised what people are willing to say around a harmless old man. They'll speak their secrets aloud without giving a second thought as to whether I would be a problem or not. After all, I am quite hard of hearing--or so I like people to think."

"You know where Orochimaru can be found?" Itachi demanded, doing his best to ignore the pang of hope that fluttered in his chest.

"I do," the old man said, inclining his head. "What I have overheard in the town pubs seems to indicate that Orochimaru is hiding out in the mountains far east from here. In the daylight you'll be able to see them better. I have also heard that he resides underground, below the highest peak, though that is less certain."

"An eavesdropper who doesn't want to show his face," Kisame said, eyes still scanning their surroundings as though searching for an ambush. "Why should we trust you?"

The old man spread his arms in a casual manner. "Trust me or don't; it doesn't matter to me. But this town happens to be the closest place of civilization from those mountains. Funny, that tracking Orochimaru has led you here, where you have encountered a Sound ninja--in Fire Country, no less."

Itachi gave Kisame a questioning glance, which Kisame answered with a nonchalant shrug. He reached into the pouch at his side and pulled out a heavy gold coin. He tossed it at the old man's feet. "Thank you for the information; it is much appreciated."

Then he turned east, towards the mountains, and took to the trees, feeling the brush of air to his left as Kisame followed beside him.

Back in the small forest clearing, the old man gave a small smirk of satisfaction before disappearing into the night.

XXXX

Sasuke woke with a start. He found himself in a pool of sweat, panting hard. He had obviously had a horrible nightmare, but he couldn't remember anything about it. Once he was able to calm himself down, he tried to remember, but nothing came to him. Frustrated, he glanced out his window, finding it still dark outside. Looking at his clock it read five o'clock in the morning.

Sasuke dropped back onto the mattress in a feeble attempt to find sleep again. After three minutes, it became apparent that this was going nowhere, so he sighed in defeat and sat back up. He reached into his dresser for his training clothes and slipped into them. If he wasn't going to be able to sleep anymore, he might as well be productive and get some training done.

He left the Uchiha compound and made his way into the forest to his favorite training ground. He had spent many years polishing his skills in this clearing, setting up multiple dummies and practicing his kunai throwing, determination fueled by seeing his brother do it perfectly so many years before.

The mere thought of Itachi sent Sasuke's head spiraling into so many different directions he decided it would be better to not think about him at all. It was for the best, even though he was tempted greatly to just sit in the center of the clearing and make some sense all of the recent events.

The trees surrounding him bore countless battle scars, in various stages of healing, and there would be more by the end of today.

The cool morning air felt good. Sasuke closed his eyes to give himself a moment to clear his mind and prepare for a rigorous and much-needed training session. As he opened his eyes, he felt himself tense slightly. He looked around for the cause, his body growing more rigid in anticipation, sharingan activated.

He could see nothing, except for the gentle swaying of the trees in the early morning breeze, which is why he was caught completely off guard when the earth beneath him split open.

Had his sharingan not been activated, the foot sweeping towards his face in a well-aimed kick would have knocked him out cold, but movement seemed to slow in that instant and he leapt back, beyond reach. Through the thinning cloud of dust, Sasuke could make out the shape of five shinobi.

"Hello, Sasuke-kun. It's been a while."

XXXX

Sakura hurried towards the Uchiha compound, nerves humming with excitement over the information she had discovered during her night of research. She had spent the whole night researching Sasuke's unusual condition, eager to begin helping him immediately. Her muscles ached from fatigue and from the archive's uncomfortable chairs, but she couldn't care less. The information she had found could potentially solve Sasuke's problem, and she knew he wouldn't have wanted her to wait until later in the morning to tell him.

The Uchiha compound came into view and infused her legs with fresh energy. She made sure to make some noise coming through the gate to let Sasuke know that she had no intention to attack him. He was a very light sleeper.

It was dark as she made her way into the main house, the sun still too low to shed any light on the morning to come. Sakura bounded up the stairs to Sasuke's room and knocked three times. No answer.

Brow furrowed, she knocked again."Sasuke-kun, it's Sakura. I think I've found a way to help you."

Still no reply.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura opened the door and was met with the troubling sight of an empty room. The covers of his bed were disheveled and a drawer of clothes was open slightly. She chewed her lip; he must have gone somewhere. Maybe he couldn't sleep....

Sakura sighed. She was still too anxious to just go back home and to bed, tempting as it sounded. If Sasuke couldn't sleep, then he was probably training. With a little luck, she should be able to find him. Resolved, she left the compound and headed for the forest.

XXXX

Sasuke glared at the five people who stood before him, falling into a defensive stance in preparation for battle. In front of him stood the four Sound ninja he had encountered a couple of weeks ago and Orochimaru's right-hand subordinate, Kabuto. Kabuto, who had been the one to speak, took a step forward, and Sasuke's glare intensified.

"Take one more step, and I'll kill you," he bit out, his crimson eyes flashing menacingly.

Kabuto lifted his hands up in a surrendering gesture. "Now, now, Sasuke-kun, no need to get violent. We just came to speak with you--"

"Shut up! I'm sick and tired of you guys trying to persuade me to go with you. There's nothing more to talk about. I have enough problems of my own to deal with, and I don't need you to add any more. You said you just wanted to talk? Well, I'm not listening, so you've just wasted a lot of time coming here. I suggest you leave. Now."

He watched the shinobi in front of him carefully, waiting for one of them to try something.

Kabuto smirked slightly and chuckled. "My, my, Sasuke-kun. You seem dead set on not taking up Orochimaru-sama's generous proposition to give you more power than you could ever imagine. With it, you would be able to finally kill your brother and avenge your clan. Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

Mention of his brother forced him to take a step back and think. Did he still want to kill Itachi? Until his brother could show him concrete evidence that would prove his innocence....

Kabuto frowned at the doubt that spread across Sasuke's face. "Don't tell me that you've seriously given up on your revenge. Your brother murdered your entire clan, your mother and father, in cold blood, just to see if he could. He left you without anyone to love you, leaving you instead to forever be looked upon as the second-best of the Uchiha brothers. Orochimaru-sama is offering you the strength to correct all of your brother's wrong-doings--"

"Shut the fuck up!" Sasuke yelled, his fury getting the better of him. "You don't know anything! Don't stand there and patronize me when you have no clue what you're talking about! I already told you to leave. I believe the exit is that way," he said, pointing at the hole in the ground.

Kabuto bowed his head, his glasses hiding any emotions in his eyes. He looked back up at Sasuke and pushed up his glasses as he did so. "I didn't want it to come to this, but it seems that the copy-nin Kakashi has convinced you otherwise, enough that you can no longer be persuaded. We have no choice but to take you by force."

Kabuto looked behind himself and locked eyes with the biggest member of the four Sound ninja. "Jiroubou, you know what to do."

The shinobi stepped forward, and Sasuke only then noticed the giant barrel, big enough to fit a person inside, he had strapped to his back. Jiroubou suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind Sasuke, grabbing his arms and immobilizing them.

"Now, Sakon!" Jiroubou called out to the man with silver hair and painted lips.

Sakon came forward and punched Sasuke in the stomach hard enough to make him double over and pass out. As Sasuke drifted off into unconsciousness, he dissolved into a puff of smoke.

"A kage bunshin!" Jiroubou yelled, scanning the area cautiously.

Sasuke emerged in the air, chidori ready in his right hand to strike the person closest to him, Sakon.

"Chidori!" he yelled, but his hand impacted ground rather than flesh. He spat out a curse as he yanked his hand out of the dirt. He spun and narrowly dodged the chakra-packed fist aimed at his head.

Sakon kneed Sasuke in the gut; he was unable to dodge this time. He flew through the air into a nearby tree with enough force to knock it over. He struggled to his feet, breathing heavily as he assessed the situation. Sakon and Jiroubou loomed in front of him, and neither had even broken a sweat. The odds didn't look good.

Clearing his face of the desperation he felt, Sasuke readied himself to go on the offensive.

"Is that all you've got?" he taunted and charged forward.

XXXX

Sakura swept the forest with her senses, trying to detect any chakra signatures close by, but she came up with nothing. She sighed in frustration, wondering what the hell Sasuke was doing out of his bed so early in the morning in the first place.

A jolt of fear suddenly lanced through her chest. What if Sasuke had reconsidered Orochimaru's offer and left to join him? She shook her head quickly to clear it of such negative thoughts. Sasuke wouldn't leave his village. He wouldn't.

She almost had herself convinced when a crash nearby broke the morning stillness. She immediately turned towards the direction of the crash and took off running. It wasn't far off and hopefully Sasuke would be there.

XXXX

Sasuke panted raggedly, his stamina waning from the heavy battle. He cursed silently at the current predicament. He was already covered in bruises, and his opponents didn't even seem to be trying. Plus, from what he had seen from their previous encounter, there was a second level of the curse seal that neither had even ascended to yet. And if by some chance he was able to kill them both, there were three more opponents waiting. No matter how Sasuke looked at the situation, he wasn't going to win unless he could get help somehow.

"What's the matter, Sasuke-kun? You look a little frazzled. Have you finally realized that there is no victory for you in this battle?" Kabuto asked, a smirk on his face.

Sasuke was ready to bite back a reply when a flash of pink entered his line of sight.

Sakura surveyed the destruction in front of her as she landed on the end of the clearing. Sasuke swallowed another curse; she was in immediate danger now, exactly where he wanted her to be far away from.

"Well now, it looks like another has joined in the fun. Good to see you again, Sakura-san. Sakon, Jiroubou, dispose of her before she draws attention to the village."

Sasuke's eyes widened. "Sakura!"

Time seemed to slow as he watched. Sakura was too frozen with fear to make any movements, and she didn't stand a chance against the two shinobi making a beeline for her. Sasuke felt fear, real fear course through his body. He had to do something, anything--

In his desperation, he began to notice that he could see the movements of Sakon and Jiroubou. A third tomoe materialized within Sasuke's sharingan, completing its development. He didn't hesitate; the adrenaline racing through his veins gave him the necessary burst of speed to leap between Sakura and the Sound nin. His hands move lightning-fast as he formed the hand signs to unleash his clan's prized jutsu.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

A giant ball of flames formed and barrelled towards the two shinobi, impacting with a searing flash that sent them flying backwards. Wasting no time, Sasuke turned to Sakura and grabbed her shoulders, snapping her out of her intial shocked state.

"Listen to me, Sakura, you need to go into the village and get whatever help you can find. Get Kakashi and whatever ANBU you can find, all right?"

Sakura just nodded, eyes still wide.

"Go now, Sakura! Before--" Sasuke broke off when he glimpsed needles shimmering in the light of the sunrise, headed straight for Sakura. There was no time to raise a counterattack, and if she didn't move in time--

He threw himself between Sakura and the needles, shielding her with his body as they pierced his back. He gritted his teeth against a cry of pain, hearing Sakura voice it instead when her gaze fell upon his back.

Kabuto smiled. "You never disappoint, Sasuke-kun, in doing exactly what I want you to. Those needles were tipped with a slow acting poison that causes temporary paralysis."

Sasuke cursed and turned back to Sakura. "Sakura, go! NOW!"

His loud shout was enough jolt her back to awareness; she gave shaky nod and bolted off. Sasuke tensed when he saw Sakon and Jiroubou, both suffering from minor burns, move to pursue her, but Kabuto signaled them to stop.

"Leave her, we just need to do this quickly."

They both nodded and landed next to Sasuke, who could feel his limbs becoming number by the second. That didn't stop Jiroubou from grabbing Sasuke's arms to immobilize it, and Kabuto approached, holding a large pill between his thumb and index finger.

"This is the Seishingan drug," Kabuto explained. "Usually, it would kill you if you took it, but using our methods, you will only fall into a coma." His smile turned sharp. "For this to happen, of course, you will need to swallow it."

"Go to hell! I'm not taking anything you give me!" Sasuke snarled, struggling madly against Jiroubou's grip. It was useless; his limbs barely twitched and he could hardly even feel the hands holding him down.

Kabuto sighed and stepped directly in front of Sasuke. "You are being quite difficult today. It's very unfortunate. I have no problem giving it to you by force, I hope you realize."

Maybe true, but that didn't mean Sasuke was planning to make it any easier on him. He kept his jaws tightly shut as Kabuto tried to pry his mouth open. It was one of the few muscles he still had control of.

"Sasuke-kun, you're acting like a stubborn puppy refusing to take its medicine. This is supposed to make you more powerful. I thought you'd be willing to take something that will make you stronger very rapidly. You will be able to control your curse seal better, and advance to level two--" Kabuto broke off with a shake of his head. "I see you are unconvinced. Very well, you leave me no choice."

Kabuto's fist slammed into his stomach hard, and he coughed, Jiroubou's grip preventing him from curling up in pain the way he really wanted to. Kabuto leveraged his reaction to shove the pill in his mouth and covered it with his hand to prevent him from spitting it out.

"Now all you have to do is swallow."

Kabuto pinched his nose, cutting off his air supply entirely. Sasuke held out until his vision began to grey, and then finally gave in, letting the pill slide down his throat. Kabuto uncovered his mouth and nose and Sasuke took in gasping breaths of air. Then Kabuto nodded at Jiroubou, who released Sasuke and grabbed the barrel from his back. Sasuke watched helplessly as Kabuto motioned for the other two Sound ninja to come forward.

"Kidoumaru, Tayuya, it's time."

Jiroubou picked Sasuke up and lowered him into the barrel. The four stepped back and began a complicated series of hand seals in perfect sync.

"Shikoku Mujin!" all four shouted as a dark purple cloud of mist formed above the barrel, and the last thing Sasuke remembered before completely losing consciousness was the mist encircling him and the lid of the barrel closing to seal him inside.

Sakon stepped forward once the jutsu finished and brought out several seals, all inscribed in blood. He activate them with a hand seal and threw them at the barrel. They attached to the top of the barrel, effectively sealing Sasuke inside.

He glanced at Kabuto. "It's done."

Kabuto nodded. "Good. Let's leave now before any reinforcements come."

Jiroubou secured the barrel to his back and the five turned north, but before they could go more than a few meters, a flash of silver appeared in front of them.

"Hm, you guys don't give up, do you?" Copy-nin Kakashi said with a deceptively casual smile. "I'm afraid you're not going to get a second chance."

XXXX

Itachi and Kisame traveled through the night, Itachi refusing to make any unnecessary stops. He hated that they had to rely on the word of a senile old man who may or may not have had an ulterior motive in providing the information, but it was their only lead, and their only hope.

As Itachi and Kisame leapt from branch to branch, Itachi felt a twinge of pain inside of him, accompanied a feeling of desperation. He stopped abruptly, trying to figure out what was wrong, and felt his breath leave him in a single, sharp exhale as he realized.

Kisame stopped at the next tree and glanced back over his shoulder. "Itachi-san, what gives? You made it pretty clear we should only stop if one of us was about to drop dead, and you look fine to me."

"We won't be continuing our path towards Orochimaru's hideout," Itachi said, and although his voice calm, Kisame could have sworn he detected the faintest trace of panic.

"You mean we've been killing ourselves without taking any breaks for nothing?" Kisame growled.

"We'll have to endure for a little bit longer. Our path has changed. We move to Konoha, now," Itachi said with absolute authority.

Kisame's face faltered. "After all that, you decide we're going to Konoha _now_? You heard what Pain said. If he sees you within one mile of Konoha, we're both going to get it."

Itachi felt a stir of annoyance at the complaint. While he understood his frustration, now was not the time to address them. If they didn't start advancing to Konoha now, they would be too late.

Fortunately, he knew Kisame's interests; they were not difficult to remember. "I'm afraid there's no time for discussion, Kisame. I do promise that if we make it to Konoha in time, you can kill whoever opposes us and destroy any obstructions in our path."

Kisame grinned, accepting the offer. "Damn, Itachi-san, you know exactly what to say to get my blood boiling. Let's go find ourselves some Leaf ninja to kill!"

Itachi didn't bother to correct him; he expected they would be challenged by Sound nin long before they encountered any of Konoha's shinobi. They turned south-east, minds focused on the same destination--but very different motivations.

Itachi only hoped that Sasuke would be able to hold on until he could make it there. Orochimaru was probably already there. No, Itachi thought fiercely. He would never let that snake lay a hand on his little brother, even if it meant making a few costly sacrifices.

XXXX

Reviews are always appreciated! :)


End file.
